Magical Lands and Memory Lane
by swanglade37
Summary: When Jack Lewis receives an urgent summons from his closest friend, it's only natural that he goes to check on her, even if that apparently means hopping on a train and heading all the way out to the countryside. Most guys wouldn't do that. Most girls wouldn't require a guy to do that. Then again, Jack isn't 'most guys', and Susan Pevensie has never been 'most girls'.


He knocked on the door and waited. He could hear her shuffling around inside, most likely some last minute tidying up despite the fact that the place probably looked flawless. He had no idea why she wanted him to meet her at this old house in the country. It was pretty and all, and positively huge, but he had no idea what her connection to the place was. The door opened, and he briefly registered the blue dress she wore before he was pulled into a hug. He pulled away after a second and gave her a once-over. There was no makeup on her face, her dress was clearly much loved, and her hair was loose. Something was definitely wrong. "Susan," he said, "talk to me. What is this place? Why-what's going on?"

His oldest and dearest friend sighed heavily. "You had better come in," she said, stepping aside to let him do exactly that. He looked around. It was gorgeous, truly, but how was she here? Susan led him up a staircase and through many hallways before she opened a door. It led to a small, private kitchen. She motioned for him to sit down and she could see how nervous she was. She paced for a minute before speaking. "He did what he was always threatening to do, Jack." Jack understood immediately and felt rage surge up inside him. Susan looked down at the floor and left the room briefly. She returned with a small, dark-haired baby girl he knew well: his goddaughter, Elizabeth. "He left us, Jack. He said he'd finally had enough of my moping and he was done with us."

Jack stood and put his arm around her. "It's not your fault, Susan."

Susan shook her head. "No, I know that." She held her daughter closer. Lucy still hadn't made a sound, just staring up at Jack with soulful brown eyes. "And I can fight my own battles, Jack, so please don't go and hunt him down after this."

"I won't. I promise. Susan, you still haven't explained why I'm here. Do you need money, or-"

Susan shook her head and brushed a strand of Lucy's hair away from the little baby's forehead. "I'm fine, Jack. This is my house."

"I must admit that I don't understand, Susan."

"Pete, Ed, Lu, and I bought it back for Professor Kirke about three years before the crash. This was his house, originally, but he lost it when I was a teenager. He left it for us in his will, but since I'm the only one left… I can't stay in that cramped apartment in London anymore, Jack. I don't want my daughter to call that place home. There's a good enough school in town for her, and there's no place in this world I can call home but here."

"' _This_ ' world? Susan, this is the only world there is. Unless you're talking about the other planets, of course."

"No, Jack. I'm talking about Narnia."

"What's Narnia? And why are you waiting to tell me _now_?" Jack was growing more desperate. It was incredibly rare for Susan to sound like this. The last time… Jack's blood ran cold. The last time Susan had sounded so quietly certain of something it had been at her family's funerals. Lucy hadn't been born yet, and Susan's hormones were more in control than her brain, but she had just told him quietly that she wished she was allowed to go with them. It was the only time Jack had ever been truly afraid for his closest friend.

Susan smiled distantly. "Narnia is the most amazing place. I was a queen there, you know."

" _A_ _queen_?"

"So was Lucy-not my daughter, my sister," Susan explained, still lost in the past. Jack was initially very confused. After saying that, she made to leave the room, but Jack stopped her.

"Have you told Lucy about Narnia?"

"Yes, of course. I'll continue to. She needs to know about her heritage. I've started with the Kings and Queens of Cair Paravel. When she's a little older, I'll tell her about the Telmarines and Caspian X."

"Care to tell _me_ about the Kings and Queens of Narnia, Susan?" He called after her as the sounds of creaky stairs filled the otherwise silent house.

Susan returned, carrying an old typewriter. She smiled, seemingly having returned from memory lane. "Why do you think I called you here, Jack? I want you to write down what I tell you."

"Why?"

Susan looked surprised. "Because it's important. And someday, some other children may want answers. If you need a typewriter, you can use this one around here. Now listen closely. It all started ten years ago, on a rainy day right here in this house. We were exploring and Mrs. Macready was in a temper…"

* * *

 **Context/Explanations:**

 **1\. C.S. Lewis published LWW in 1950. It takes place in 1940, thus 'ten years ago', give or take a few months.**

 **2\. Lewis's full name was Clive Staples Lewis. In the 2012 film** _ **The Lion Awakes**_ **, it's revealed that he was known as Jack to his friends. Since I made Susan his best friend, it makes sense she'd call him Jack.**

 **3\. It's said in the beginning of LWW that Lewis's goddaughter was also named Lucy. In my mind, for this fic, Susan's daughter's full name is Reine Lucy Pevensie, and her mother and godfather refer to her by her middle name. As for her father, I don't have a canon character in mind, but I figured one of the boys Susan met while she was partying. She got pregnant, and he married her so that the child would be legitimate. As this fic takes place in 1950, Susan's family died in 1949, and Lucy is several months old, it only makes sense that she was pregnant when her family died.**


End file.
